Noiseless turnstile check



May 15, 1934.

A. ANDERSON NOISELESS TURNSTILE CHECK Filed Aug. 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet INVEN TOR. Arfhur' A rlderson By gnu/ 22 dg (DJ-25.

TORNEYS.

y I A. ANDERSON 1,958,458

NOISELESS TURNSTILE CHECK Filed Aug. 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Anderson- TORNEYS.

5 BY Q X Q Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE 14 Claims.

This invention relates in general to the combination with a barrier, such as a turnstile, of means for checking the movement of the turnstile.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of mechanism of this type which is substantially noiseless in operation.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a structure of this type which is so arranged that it checks and stops the movable part of the barrier or turnstile regardless of how great an impulse is given thereto.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a weighted gravity actuated and pivotally supported member adjacent the movable part of the barrier for engaging the barrier as it nears the end of its normal movement to check it, so that the centering means may move the barrier into normal inactive position and hold it in that position.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a mechanism of this type which prevents the barrier from moving past a point where it should stop regardless of how great an impulse is given thereto.

These and many other objects as will appear from the following disclosure are secured by means of this invention.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be described in detail below.

Referring to the drawings;

Figure 1 is an elevational view with some parts in cross section of the combination of this invention showing a barrier of the turnstile form and the checking device mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view with some parts broken away and others omitted to'show the relative arrangement of the turnstile arms and the checking arrangement of the device;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view through the centering element.

At the present time coin or token actuated barriers for passageways are used very extensively, especially in connection with modern subways. These barriers are of many forms, although the type most generally used is of the turnstile form. These turnstile barriers comprise four arms arranged at right angles in the form of a cross and are placed in a passageway, so that one arm of the barrier always projects across the passageway. Upon the deposit of a coin the barrier is released and rotates one-quarter turn to permit a person to pass therethrough. After this one-quarter turn of the barrier the next arm is projected across the passageway. Thus in the normal operation of the barriers as each person passes therethrough they make one-quarter of a revolution. Resilient centering means are used in connection with such a barrier so as to insure that it will be accurately centered after each movement, so that one of the arms will project across the passageway. In addition it is usual to provide metal dogs which, towards the end of each one-quarter revolution, project up into the path of a stop to prevent the barrier arms from over-traveling. Although the centering means tends to prevent over-traveling, it being of a resilient construction cannot actually prevent over-traveling and hence these metal dogs and stops are provided. Such a structure is exceedingly noisy and furthermore causes undue shocks and strains on the apparatus because the metal dogs being positively fixed causes the barrier arms to stop very suddenly when they strike the dogs.

The general object of this invention is to provide a noiseless mechanism which will check and stop the barrier arms near the end of each one-quarter turn so that the centering means can accurately center them. The device of this invention comprises a weighted member pivotally supported and projecting in the path of cam surfaces on the arms so as to observe the impulse of the arms to slow them down so that the centering means can accurately center them. One of the important features of this invention is that with the apparatus arranged in accordance with this invention the barrier arms are checked in their movement no matter how great an impulse they are given and they cannot over-travel. In addition, the retardation of the arms is effected gradually and not instantaneously, and thereby reducing shocks and strains on the apparatus. The arrangement also absolutely prevents over-travel, which is not always true of the old arrangement using metal dogs, where occasionally the stop gets past the dogs.

The details of the invention will be better understood by direct reference to the drawings. The barrier in this case, shown of the turnstile type, comprises a supporting casing 1 having two brackets 2 and 3 mounted therein as shown in the drawings. J ournaled for rotation in these brackets about a vertical axis is the shaft 4 to which is secured a collar 5. Between the bracket 2 and the collar 5 is a coil spring 6 and between the collar 5 and the member 7 is another spring 6. This spring passes freely through the bracket 3. The centering mechanism comprises the element 7, which has pins 8. on the peripherythereof which project into grooves on the brackets 9 secured to bracket 3. The member 7 is free on shaft 4 while a complementary member 10 is pinned to the shaft 4 for rotation therewith.

Fig. 3 shows the internal construction of this mechanism. The member 7 is recessed centrally and provided with the cam surfaces 7 The lower surface of the member 10 has complementary cam surfaces thereon to engage with the cam surfaces 7. Since the barrier arms make a one-quarter revolution the cam surfaces on the members 7 and 10 are provided in the form of four V-shaped notches in the case of member '7. The cams on the member 10 are of the same form and shape so as to cooperate with the cam surfaces on the member '7. This construction per se is, of course, old but is shown in detail, since it is involved in a new combination in the present invention.

Shaft 4 extends up through the casing 1 and has secured thereto the four barrier arms 11, which are arranged in the form of a cross. These arms are united at the center on their lower surface by means of a suitably shaped plate 12, and likewise on the top by means of the plate 13 which is of similar shape and which is embedded in recesses in the top surfaces of the arms. Attached to the under surface of each arm is a plate 15 which is provided with an arcuate cam surface 16. The arms 11, plates 12 and 13 and plates 15 with their cams are all united together in a rigid unit by means of a bolt 14. The cam surface 16 is not only arcuate, as is clear in the drawings, but is inclined to the vertical as is clear in Fig. 1. Attached to the side of easing 1 is a bracket 1'7 provided with a supporting surface 18 to which is secured plate 19.

As is clear in Fig. 2, plate 19 is provided with slots 23 through which the bolts 24 pass to secure it in an adjustable position on the bracket 17. Bracket 17 is provided with a fixed stop 21 which passes up through an opening 20 in the plate 19 and engages with the edge 22 of that plate. Thus the plate 19 may be adjusted towards the right or left (Fig. 2) and shims may be placed between the stop plate 21 and the edge 22 of plate 19 to insure it being held in adjusted position. Plate 19 is provided with hubs in which the pivot pin 25 is secured. Pivotally mounted on this pin 25 is an arm 26 which is provided with a right angle arm 27 on which is rotatably supported a wheel 29 by means of the stud shaft 28. This wheel 29 is made of resilient material, and experience has shown that live rubber is preferable. The lower end of lever 26 is provided with an enlarged weight 30 which has on one face a resilient pad of suitable material 3l,which may be, for example, felt. The opposite face of this weight 30 is smooth. Enclosing the weighted end of lever 26 is a U-shaped bracket 32 secured to the casing 1. The outer end of this bracket supports a cup of resilient material 33 which is preferably made of rubber. This cup is hollowed out to form a vacuum cup.

The parts are shown in the position they assume when the barriers are in their normal position with one arm projecting across the passageway. At this time the cam surfacelfi has engaged the roller 29, causing it to move to the position shown. When the barrier arms are moved lever 26 and all its attached parts begins to move in a counter-clockwise direction until the lever 26 has fallen to a vertical position. Since the barrier arms are moved quite rapidly, the lever is quickly released. Its weighted end swings downwardly and when the vacuum cup 33 strikes the smooth back surface thereof it exerts for a very short period of time a suction action which prevents lever 26 and its attached parts from oscillating. This vacuum breaks rather rapidly permitting the arm to hang freely. As the next barrier arm swings around the cam surface 16 comes in contact with roller 29. Since the cam surface bulges out, so to speak, radially its con-- tinued movement with the barriers causes the lever 26 with its attached parts to rotate in a clockwise direction. With normal operation this action occurs quite rapidly and causes the weight 30 to swing over so that its pad 31 strikes the casing 1. The length of the lever arms from the center of pivot 25 to the center of roll 29 and to the lower weighted end are so proportioned, with regard to the weight 30 and to the weight of the barrier arms and attached mechanism, that the device will absorb the energy of impulse and rapidly slow down the barrier arms at the end of their stroke. It is quite apparent that by this arrangement the greater the impulse applied to thebarrier arms the greater will be the resisting action of the lever 30. It ispointed out that the inclined surface of the cam 16 is on a plane which passes through the center of pivot pin 25. With this arrangement the barrier arms are slowed down sufficiently so that the centering device within the casing 1 may gain control of the barriers and stop them in exactly centered position. By reason of the use of a live rubber roller 29 and the padding 31 on the weight 30 and the rubber vacuum cup 33, the device is substantially noiseless in its operation. It might be pointed out here, as will be apparent from Fig. 2, that when the lever 26 and its attached parts hangs perpendicular and is free the rubber roller slightly overlaps the path of movement of the curved cams 16 so that when the arms approach their normal centered position the arms are checked by the rubber roller by the counteraction of the inertia of the weighted lever 26. This mechanism brings the arm to substantially a stop and the center means can act to accurately center the barrier arms.

From the foregoing disclosure itwill be apparent that my invention involves certain principles of construction and operation which may be embodied in other physical forms than that shown for purposes of illustration, and I do not therefore desire to be strictly limited to this illustrative disclosure, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

, What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a turnstile mechanism of the type described, the combination with barrier arms movable step-by-step, and means for centering the barrier arms at the end of each movement, of yielding means successively engaged by the barrier arms for retarding at a rateproportional to their momentum at all speeds the movement of the barrier arms near the end of each movement thereof.

2. In a barrier construction of the type described, the combination with movable barrier arms arranged to normally project across a passageway, and means for centering the barrier arms in stationary position across the passageway, of a movably supported member cooperating with barrier arms to retard them near the end of each movement, said member having a retarding effect proportional to the momentum of the barrier arms at all speeds.

3. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination comprising rotatably supported barrier arms, means for positioning the barrier arms when at rest, means comprising a cam mounted on the barrier arms, and a pivotally supported weighted member cooperating with the cams for checking the movement of the barrier arms near the end of each movement thereof.

4. In a mechanism of the type described, the combination comprising a movable barrier member having arms to project across a passageway when at rest, and movable resisting means coacting with the arms of the barrier member for retarding the movement of the barrier arms near the end of each stroke at any velocity with a resisting force proportional to the velocity of the barrier arms.

5. In a mechanism of the type described, the combination comprising rotatably supported barrier arms, means for centering the barrier arms when at rest, engaging members on each arm, and a pivotally supported and weighted lever mounted adjacent the path of movement of the engaging means so as to engage said lever near the end of movement of the barrier arms.

6. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination comprising a rotatable turnstile having a plurality of barrier arms, means connected to said turnstile for centering it in proper position when at rest, engaging plates on each of the arms of the turnstile, and a pivotally supported member having a roller at one end for engagement with the engaging plates and a weight at its other end.

7. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination comprising a rotatable turnstile having a plurality of barrier arms, means connected to said turnstile for centering it in proper position when at rest, engaging plates on each of the arms of the turnstile, and a pivotally supported member having a roller at one end for engagement with the engaging plates and a weight at its other end, said lever hanging freely and substantially vertically when the engagement plates move out of contact with the roller.

8. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination comprising a rotatable turnstile having a plurality of barrier arms, means connected to said turnstile for centering it in proper position when at rest, engaging plates on each of the arms of the turnstile, a pivotally supported member having a roller at one end for engagement with the engaging plates and a weight at its other end, and means for momentarily holding the lever against swinging until the turnstile is moved so that the engaging plates move out of contact with the roller.

9. In a noiseless turnstile checking mechanism,

the combination comprising a rotatably supported turnstile having a plurality of projecting arms, said turnstile being movable step-by-step, means for centering the turnstile when not in motion, cam plates on each of the arms of the turnstile, a lever pivotally supported adjacent the turnstile, a resilient roller rotatably supported on the lever so as to be in the path of movement of the cam plates, and a weight at the other end of said lever.

10. In a noiseless turnstile checking mechanism, the combination comprising a rotatably supported turnstile having a plurality of projecting arms, said turnstile being movable stepby-step, means for centering the turnstile when not in motion, cam plates on each of the arms of the turnstile, a live rubber roller rotatably supported on the lever so as to be in the path of movement of the cam plates, and a weight at the other end of said lever.

11. In a noiseless turnstile checking mechanism, the combination comprising a rotatably supported turnstile having a plurality of projecting arms, said turnstile being movable stepby-step, means for centering the turnstile when not in motion, cam plates on each of the arms of the turnstile, a lever pivotally supported adjacent the turnstile, a resilient roller rotatably supported on the lever so as to be in the path of movement of the cam plates, and vacuum means for engaging said lever when it swings free to prevent swinging thereof.

12. A substantially noiseless turnstile comprising movable barrier arms mounted for conjoint rotation, a pivotally supported weighted lever, and a resilient contact member mounted on said lever so as to engage the barrier arms in succession to retard their movement near the end of each movement.

13. In a mechanism of the type described, the combination comprising a movable barrier having projecting arms, and resisting means actuated by said arms for retarding the movement of the barrier arms near the end of each stroke in either direction with a resisting force proportional to the velocity of movement of the barrier arms.

14. In a noiseless mechanism of the type described the combination comprising a barrier mounted for step-by-step rotation, a pivotally supported weighted arm engageable by the barrier near the end of each stroke to retard the barrier, and means for preventing the oscillation of said arm when freed upon initial movement of the barrier at the beginning of each rotational step.

ARTHUR ANDERSON. 

